With over 900+ broadcasts written by various authors and directors of their time, Suspense is a conglomeration of some of the most acclaimed old time radio shows that graced the airwaves from the years 1942 until 1962.
Suspense was a radio series broadcasted on the CBS Radio Network in the early 1940’s that featured many of the era’s famous Hollywood stars. Most notable among them are the highly talented Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich to name a few.
Living up to its name, majority of the program’s episodes were dedicated to the thriller and mystery genre wherein the protagonist was usually thrown into strange and unusual circumstances that seemingly had no resolution. Miraculously, a means of salvation would somehow manifest towards the finale to illustrate the triumph of good over evil.
Suspense is one of the classics of old time radio. Some fans have special favorites in the thriller/chiller/macabre genre, but all will agree that Suspense did it best. The guiding light of this show was William Spier, who developed the formula into a human drama that attracted the finest of Hollywood's elite as well as the cream of radio's great actors.
Orson Welles was in many episodes, and Cary Grant was quoted in 1943, "If I ever do any more radio work, I want to it on Suspense, where I get a good chance to act." Spier's method with his show's stars was to keep them under-rehearsed, somewhat uneasy. In Suspense, as it were. He got great performances, and the show gained greater and greater popularity.
The Roma Wine sponsorship in 1943 allowed the show to create works that are a lasting part of the old time radio entertainment experience. All the production values were first class. The great Bernard Hermann did the musical scores. He previously had worked with Orson Welles in his Mercury Theater series, and went on to do of Alfred Hitchcock film fame. Lucian Moraweck did many of the greatest episode scores.
The "Man in Black" is your host, reminding one of the many thriller show presenters, but Suspense was the best of the bunch, and never did the show lapse into over-the-top melodrama. William Spier was so deft in his weaving of the spell of Suspense, he was dubbed "the Hitchcock of the airwaves."
The Suspense anthology marked the end of the golden age of radio drama as the 1960’s gave birth to other forms of more colorful entertainment. Relive the glory days of old time radio and hear Suspense! Click here to read more about Suspense
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Please enjoy these 914 old time radio episodes:
Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
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10.02.1947 | the story of markhams death |
+ "The Story Of Markham's Death". Sponsored by: Cresta Blanca Wines. A has-been writer discovers a ... | |
10.09.1947 | the man who liked dickens |
+ "The Man Who Liked Dickens". Sponsored by: Cresta Blanca Wines, Roma Wines. A strange old man in ... | |
10.16.1947 | self defense |
+ "Self Defense". Sponsored by: Cresta Blanca Wines, Roma Wines. A woman tricks a man into murderin... | |
10.23.1947 | the xray camera |
+ "The X-Ray Camera". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A good story about a "perfect crime" to blow up a m... | |
10.30.1947 | subway |
+ "Subway". Sponsored by: Roma Wines, Cresta Blanca Wines. An unsuccessful actress plans to kill th... | |
11.06.1947 | dream song |
+ "Dream Song". Sponsored by: Cresta Blanca Wines. Henry Morgan appears in a murder mystery about a... | |
11.13.1947 | riabouchinska |
+ "Riabouchinska". Sponsored by: Cresta Blanca, Roma. A murder is solved by a ventriloquist's d... | |
11.20.1947 | one hundred in the dark |
+ "One Hundred In The Dark". Sponsored by: Roma Wines, Cresta Blanca Wines. West coast version. Fiv... | |
11.27.1947 | the pit and the pendulum |
+ "The Pit and The Pendulum". The classic story about the French officer in the clutches of the In... | |
12.05.1947 | clock and the rope |
+ "The Clock and The Rope". A good story about a man to be hanged for murder because the only witn... | |
12.12.1947 | man who couldnt lose |
+ "The Man Who Couldn't Lose". An insurance salesman kills his wife, sells a big annuity, wins the... | |
12.19.1947 | wet saturday |
+ Frederick Princey was just an ordinary family man with a son a daughter and a wife. He would have ... | |
12.26.1947 | too little to live on |
+ "Too Little To Live On". Sponsored by: Autolite. The decision is finally made to kill mean-but-we... | |
01.03.1948 | the black curtain |
+ "The Black Curtain". A man suddenly finds himself with a new identity: that of an accused murder... | |
01.10.1948 | the khandi tooth caper |
+ "The Kandy Tooth". The story of the return of the "Fat Man!" A sequel to "The Maltese Falcon," w... | |
01.17.1948 | loves lovely counterfeit |
+ "Love's Lovely Counterfeit". A good adaption of the story about the gangster who rises to the to... | |
01.24.1948 | eve |
+ "The Black Angel" (also referred to as "Eve"). A better than usual one-hour "Suspense" script. Wh... | |
02.07.1948 | donovans brain |
+ "Donovan's Brain". The classic tale of the mad scientist and his "brain in the bottle." The stor... | |
02.14.1948 | the lodger |
+ "The Lodger". The story of a very unusual "lodger." Is he really Jack the Ripper? The story was ... | |
02.21.1948 | beyond reason |
+ "Beyond Reason". An evil man takes over a family's wealth and begins to kill them off one at a t... | |
02.28.1948 | house by the river |
+ "The House By The River". Who killed Emily Gaunt? A British murder mystery involving a poet, his... | |
03.06.1948 | in a lonely place |
+ "In A Lonely Place". A horror tale of a strangler on the loose, who kills once a month. The stor... | |
03.13.1948 | nightmare |
+ "Nightmare". A man dreams that he's committed murder. When he learns that the murder actually ha... | |
03.20.1948 | wet saturday august heat |
+ "Wet Saturday" and "August Heat". A program of two different stories. For "Wet Saturday:" Who ki... | |
03.27.1948 | night must fall |
+ "Night Must Fall". The story of the rise and fall of a very clever British murderer and arsonist... |
Mike
Jerry
John
Peggie
Dave
Daniel
Daniel
John
Michael
Kristi
Travis
Dan
Michael
Tommy
Jim
Robert
Joe
Jay
Russ
David
Dale
David
Kenneth
Jamie
Archie
Scott
David
Mark
Rick
Annette
John
Mike
Damian
Randy
Kim
Joe
Steve Hodel
SUSPENSE
Martin
Lynne
Dan
Bert
SM
Norma
Judy
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